Belarusian Victoria Azarenka was booed off the court by the Wimbledon crowd after her defeat to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
Svitolina triumphed in an epic three-set battle against the former world No 1 Azarenka in what was the first match between a Ukrainian player and a Russian or Belarusian at this year’s tournament.
Players from Russia and Belarus were banned by Wimbledon last year following the invasion of Ukraine but they have been allowed to compete as neutral athletes this year.
Svitolina, like all Ukrainian players on the professional tour, does not shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents due to the ongoing invasion of her home country.
As expected, there was no handshake at the net after Svitolina, who was backed by the Wimbledon crowd during the contest, came from a set down to win the match tiebreak.
However, there was a nod of acknowledgement between the players – with Azarenka waiting at the net for Svitolina after her victory.
But Azarenka was then loudly booed off the court as Svitolina prepared for her post-match interview.
Azarenka stopped walking as the booing began, and looked incredulous at the reaction from the fans on Court No 1.
The 33-year-old then banged her wrists together in apparent disgust.
Azarenka was booed by the Wimbledon crowd
(Getty Images)
Svitolina took a wildcard into the Wimbledon draw
(Getty Images)
Svitolina, a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist in 2019 who only returned to tennis earlier this year after giving birth to her first child, was hugely emotional after the win and at the support she had received.
“I think after giving birth to our daughter this is the second happiest moment in my life,” she said.
“When I was down in the second set I heard you guys cheering for me and I almost wanted to cry.
“It was really tough for me because I wasn’t playing my best, I was really struggling but I really wanted to win today. You guys gave me so much strength today. You were really unbelievable.”
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